1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of wall mounted vacuum cleaners and particularly to an improved self-contained unit capable of being totally recessed within an interior wall and operating with a greatly reduced noise level.
2. Background of the Invention
Central vacuum cleaning systems are useful in homes, offices and commercial establishments. These systems generally utilize a unitary centrally located station containing a vacuum supply, a collection receptacle and a plurality of conduits which interconnect various parts of the structure to the central station. The conduits normally terminate in a hose adapter coupling enabling each area to be cleaned by inserting the hose assembly into the hose coupling and activating the central station vacuum supply. The hose assembly is normally moved from one room to another. In some systems the hose coupling also supplies electrical power to a brushing system, sometimes referred to as a powerhead.
These systems suffer from the fact that an extremely powerful unit must be utilized in order to compensate for the pressure drop experienced in traversing the various heights and bends needed to route the conduit through the walls of the structure. Furthermore, prior art central vacuum systems have historically been limited to inclusion in only new construction since it is both difficult and costly to install the necessary conduits in existing structures.
In addition, as the air filtering and residue collecting receptacle becomes filled, there is a tendency for the airflow around it to be impaired as it presses against the inner walls of its housing. The instant invention incorporates a unique baffle assembly which advantageously lines the inner walls of the housing around the collection receptacle and maintains an unimpeded flow path so as to insure optimum operation, even as the receptacle becomes filled.
Wall recessed cleaning systems are known that are self-contained so as to include the vacuum supply, vacuum bag and hose receptacle in a single unit, adapted to be situated within an opening prepared in the wall of an existing structure. The problem with such prior art devices was that they were difficult to install within an interior wall recess since they were greater than 6 inches in depth. Another problem was that the geometry of the motor structure necessitated use of an inefficient flow pattern in order to reduce the unit's overall dimensions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,080 to Schlapkohl, the inventor of the instant improvement, is incorporated herein by reference. The patent teaches the provision of a small, compact, powerful, self-contained, wall mounted central vacuum system. The vacuum cleaner has a housing that encloses the air filtering and residue collection chamber together with the motor producing the air flow. The residue collection chamber is designed to incorporate easily removable and disposable bags. The housing includes hardware for mounting the vacuum cleaner on or recessed in a wall along with inlet and exhaust openings. The vacuum cleaner can simultaneously provide powerful and reliable cleaning without loss of efficiency as debris is collected.
Because the vacuum cleaner is mounted on or in a wall, all vibrations and noise, are transmitted directly to the wall structure and disseminate throughout the larger enclosure. Therefore, an improved self-contained wall mounted vacuum cleaner that has a significantly reduced noise level is desired.